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Federal regulators charge that the company responsible for salmonella-tainted peanut butter shipped products it knew were contaminated. The bacterial infection has sickened 501 people in 43 states since September and may be linked to eight deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that on 12 occasions in 2007 and 2008, Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) sent out peanut butter and peanut paste (ground roasted peanuts used in baked goods and candies sold in supermarkets) even though it knew there was salmonella in the ingredients or finished products, officials said yesterday during a press briefing (click on the Jan. 27, 2009 hyperlink for a PDF of the transcript).

"The firm, as part of their own internal testing program, identified some type of salmonella and released a product after it was re-tested [and found not to be contaminated], in some case by a different laboratory," said Michael Rogers, director of FDA's division of field investigations. (He wouldn't identify the lab.)

Rogers added that PCA didn’t take steps to clean its Blakely, Ga., plant or to reduce the chance that the tainted products would contaminate other products. (We've got the lowdown on how salmonella gets into peanut butter.)

FDA Director of Food Safety Stephen Sundlof said at the press conference that it's "a violation of the law" to ship contaminated products. "It's inconceivable that the FDA or the state of Georgia allowed a plant like this to operate," says Seattle personal-injury attorney Bill Marler, who sued PCA in federal court in Albany, Ga., last week on behalf of a 7-year-old boy who got sick after eating salmonella-tainted peanut butter.  "This company ... got positive tests and shipped it in any event. If that’s not criminal behavior, I don’t know what is."

George Clarke, a PCA spokesperson, refused to comment when reached by phone and said he'd respond via email. We'll update you if we hear back. But he released a statement to other media that said "PCA has cooperated fully with FDA from Day 1 ... and will continue to do so."

The FDA has warned consumers not to eat a long list of peanut butter products. Salmonella can cause symptoms including diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. In severe cases, antibiotics and even hospitalization may be necessary to treat it. Young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems are the most vulnerable; authorities said that one-fifth of the victims in this outbreak are under age 5.

Image © iStockphoto/David Crockett

9 Comments

1. 1. ildenizen 05:19 PM 1/28/09

   I guess I still don't see it. If the company tests product, finds a bad result, then retests becasue the cost of disposing of this product might be prohibitive - sounds like a reasonable tack.
   A retest may be done more carefully, and provide a more accurate result. If a second test is negative, they may have reason to suspect that the first test was a false positive.
   That of course, assumes that the company was not just retesting in the hopes of getting the answer they wanted. And given the results, it looks like that may be the case.
   For all we know, this was far from the first time this positive type result was found and over-ruled with a better/different second test. But this is the first time the public has had to pay the price for this company's risk based decision.

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2. 2. scientific earthling 06:27 PM 1/28/09

   What's new? Test till you get the results you want has been around ever since I first started working as a laboratory assistant. No company wants to discard anything it can sell.

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3. 3. Beautifuldisaster67 09:45 PM 1/28/09

   Yeah... Typical case of dumbass people!
   Found out right after I ate a pbj and I was like <img src="http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/qq267/vaelryu/Emocons/shocked.gif">. Read up and was slightly relieved but still particularly POed.

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4. 4. farmboy 07:24 AM 1/29/09

   I would like to know what the vector is for this. Salmonella is a zoonotic disease, it comes from animals and historically farm animals. How is peanut butter being contaminated? Give the plant kingdom a bad name.

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5. 5. quasi-peak 08:08 AM 1/29/09

   So is there any comment from all those who lambasted China for "allowing" the same thing to go on except with melamine? What goes around comes around.
   
   On the testing issue, common practice is that if second test results are different from first test results, additional testing is indicated.

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6. 6. Cynthia111 07:08 PM 1/29/09

   This is just shameful. I read another articlehttp://www.newsinferno.com/archives/4643#more-4643that discussed how PCA received 12 positive tests for salmonella but never issued a recall and never did anything to prevent illness in consumers.

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7. 7. ZenaV 07:53 PM 1/29/09

   This is domestic terroism. Get the rope. Get thee them to guatamnamo.

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8. 8. siedentopf 08:55 PM 2/11/09

   Most likly bird droppings, leaks in the roof, both drip in to the food from there.

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9. 9. suzyframe 10:52 AM 7/17/12

   This is such a crazy story! I remember hearing about this a few years ago and feeling bad for those people. But, I didn't know that the company knew it contained salmonella. I am a bit curious and was wondering if the people who were sick from it would need a <a href="http://www.ronmeyerslaw.net">seattle personal injury attorney</a> or if they just have to sue on their own? Thanks for the information.

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